Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
by muggleindenial28
Summary: "You look after everyone and I'm just wondering, who looks after you?" A series of consecutive missing moments between Daryl and Beth, starting with a few nights after the farm is overrun (end of season 2) and onward.
1. Introductions

_A/N: Hi all! So I'm taking a quick break from my usual fandom and writing something new, Bethyl. I've been shipping it obsessively since "Still" aired and I thought I'd take a whack at writing a little something for them. This is my first "TWD" fic and if you're from the "Fringe" fandom and wondering about "Girl with the Broken Smile" I promise I'm not abandoning it, it's just that Bethyl won't leave me alone. So without further-adieu, here is "Seeking a Friend of the End of the World" and it takes place a few days after the season 2 finale when the group is living on the run. I do not own "The Walking Dead"._

_Enjoy!_

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

No matter how much she tossed and turned, Beth Greene couldn't get comfortable. It wasn't much of a surprise; she'd been sleeping in her own room, hell, in her _own _bed even after the outbreak started. It had been the end of the world wrapped in a warm cocoon of normalcy. Sure, she'd heard the news reports on the radio and the TV, yet all it did was make her feel like she was living in a cheesy horror movie. After all, in what kind of ludicrous reality would the dead start walking? Rationally, the whole thing was practically laughable.

However, it wasn't until the "ludicrous reality" finally hit home, when Beth started to get scared. She remembered the day Shawn got bit with near perfect clarity. He'd driven to his best friend's, Evan, house on account of not hearing from him in a few weeks. He said that Evan was probably fine but with times like these, one could never be too careful. When he came home late that night, he'd looked pale and without so much as a word, darted up into his room. When Beth thought about it, it was the last time she'd laid eyes on her older brother before he turned. By the time her mother had gone up to check on him, it was too late.

They heard her scream and the rest was history.

For days, Beth had been on auto-pilot while watching her dad and Otis wrestle Shawn and her mom into the confines of the barn.

"They'll be safe there," he'd said in a shaky tone as he wiped sweat off his brow "until they get the vaccine."

He said that every time they brought another poor infected soul home. "They'll be safe, just wait for the vaccine" over and over until the remaining Greenes believed it. Weeks went by and spring faded into summer. By August, the cure hadn't come beating on their door, but rather a nearly broken man clutching a bloody child.

From the moment Rick Grimes and his people came to the farm, their lives all changed irrevocably. In the short months since she'd known the former cop, Beth Greene had lost her mother, brother, and home forever. She didn't blame him, though. She couldn't. In fact, if he hadn't stepped in and taken control, she and the rest of her family would have died the night the farm was overrun. It was almost surreal to think about; her fate depended solely on a little boy who'd been accidentally shot in the chest.

It was due to the whirl wind of the past few days that Beth found herself here, in this creaky old house far too similar to her own. She could hear the snores and even breaths scattered haphazardly around the house. Beth rolled onto her back and huffed out a frustrated sigh. No matter how she adjusted, the taut mattress she was sharing with Carol might as well have been a bed of nails with how comfortable she was. She knew she should just suck it up and try and sleep, being dead on her feet in the morning wouldn't help the group. Not one bit.

Glancing over at her bedmate, Beth reluctantly sat up and slipped on her boots silently. No use, lying awake in a stuffy room when perfectly good fresh air was barely twelve steps away. They'd lucked out on shelter tonight. The house was two stories with plenty of beds and a back deck that only opened to the second floor. Carefully and quietly, Beth slipped out of her room and tiptoed down the hall towards the balcony. She was just about to step outside, when a movement caught her eye.

Sitting on the railing, clutching his crossbow and smoking a cigarette was Daryl Dixon.

Since she was little, Beth Greene had been taught not to judge others based on their appearance. Yet, she couldn't deny that the rugged and rough exterior he put forth intimidated her. Back at the farm, he'd down right terrified her at first. It wasn't until after the incident at the barn, that she really got a peak of his true nature. Granted at the time, she'd been a bit preoccupied to notice much.

"Ya gonna stay in that doorway all night?" Daryl's voice growled into the night. Crap, how long had she been standing there? For a split second, she thought about bolting back to the bedroom, fresh air be damned. However, just as she turned to go, another thought popped into her mind. The past few months had been a living hell, and standing outside with a reclusive redneck for a few minutes had nothing on them. Clearing her throat, Beth stepped outside.

"Would you mind if I joined you out here for a bit?" She asked uncertainly.

"Suppose not," Daryl muttered.

"Thanks,"

He grunted in response.

"You on watch?" She asked.

"Mhmm,"

She walked over to the edge of the deck and rested her arms along the railing. It was peaceful night, cold, but peaceful all the same. Neither of them spoke for a while. It occurred to Beth, as she stood there in the silence, this was the first time she'd ever been alone with Daryl. Hell, she couldn't recall ever speaking to him before tonight.

"My name's Beth," She said suddenly, shattering the silence.

"What?"

"I said my name's Beth,"

"Yeah, I know that, why you tellin' me now?"

"Well, I was thinking 'bout it, and I don't believe you and I ever had a proper introduction."

"The hell's that matter now?"

"I dunno, just seemed like s good conversation starter."

"Sorry, kid. But I ain't much of a talker," He said.

"That's okay, I ain't either."

"Then why you talkin' now?'

"Somethin' to do," She shrugged. She thought about leaving when he spoke again.

"Kid, what're you really doin' out here?"

"Stop callin' me that, I ain't a kid."

"Coulda' fooled me. Now I'll ask you again, why ain't you in bed?"

"That's a different question," She countered.

"It'll got the same answer. Now ya gonna tell me or you gonna beat it?" He asked gruffly.

"Can't sleep… Haven't been able to since the farm." She finally sighed.

"Ah,"

She leaned further against the deck.

"That's all you got to say, 'ah'?" She snapped, doing a poor imitation of his thick drawl.

"Makes sense, is all." He shrugged. "If it makes ya feel any better, I can't remember the last time I slept through the night."

"Really?"

"Mhmm,"

"Makes sense, I guess. Is that why you always volunteer for watch?"

"Yup,"

"You should try, you know." She said.

"Hmm?"

"To sleep."

"Nah, its fine."

"No, its not."

"Girl, what you on about?"

"I'm just sayin', you're the guy that takes all the shit jobs and you always end up runnin' yourself ragged. If you go on like this, you're gonna get yourself killed. So, maybe you could let someone else look after everyone for a little while."

"Sun's gonna be up in a few hours. You best try and get some shut eye," He said after a few moments, effectively dismissing her. Beth knew that she'd over stepped her bounds and made him sufficiently uncomfortable. It didn't surprise her in the slightest that he wanted her to leave. She nodded and turned to face him.

"Just think about what I said. You look after everyone and I'm just wondering, who looks after you?" She said. Figuring she wouldn't get a response, she walked passed him toward the door. She was just about to step through when his voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Daryl," He said.

"Huh?" Beth turned around.

"Ya wanted a proper introduction, my name's Daryl Dixon. Happy?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Daryl." She smiled and held out her hand.

"You's well, Beth." He shook somewhat reluctantly. "Now, git 'fore I wake your daddy and tell 'im you been up with a redneck all night."

"Yes sir," She smirked and without another word, walked back into the house.

Well, that wasn't so bad, she thought as she crept back into the bedroom. Maybe Daryl Dixon wasn't so scary after all.

_A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. This is a one-shot for now but I might expand on it with more "missing moment" type chapters. Please make sure to leave a review even if you hated it, or if you think I should add more Thank you so much!_


	2. Lessons

_A/N: Hey there! Thank you all so much with all the reviews, follows, and favorites! They truly made my week! All this love really got my muse going and I've decided to continue with this story as a missing moments collection. Every chapter is going to be in consecutive order and they will most likely relate to each other (unless stated otherwise). I do not own The Walking Dead or Harry Potter._

_Enjoy!_

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Chapter 2: Lessons

The days were cold and the nights were colder as the group trudged on. Beth thought it was cliché; of course the first winter of the apocalypse would be one of the harshest in the past fifteen years. The wind was the worst, loud and unforgiving. Along with most of the group, Beth had grown accustomed to the stinging numbness in her fingers, ears, and toes that went hand in hand with living in the woods for the past however many months. By her estimates, it was probably around mid-January. Although, her only reference of time was the green little notebook she kept in her back pocket. She tried to write in it every day if she could, even if it were just a sentence. On good days, she could go on for pages at a time. However, they were becoming less and less frequent as winter drove onward.

"We'll stop here for the night," Rick said.

Everyone dropped their packs and started setting up camp. Glenn and Maggie set up a series of alarms around the perimeter of the camp, tying tin cans hanging off of fishing wire around the surrounding tree branches. Beth offered to help, but they told her to sit with Carl and keep him occupied while Hershel checked up on Lori. Rick and T-dog were doing an inventory of the artillery. And Daryl went hunting as soon as everything was secure.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

Just another typical day for Beth Greene; true to her routine, she pulled out her journal and began to write.

_Jan 12? 2012 (I think)_

_Short entry tonight, too cold to write much. We didn't find shelter, again. I understand that Rick's trying his best, I really do. It's just that we've been living in the woods for weeks now and I ain't sure how much more of this Lori can take. Most days are just spent running and killing walkers… Well, I don't do much of the killing. My job is to stay out of the way so someone more capable can take care of them. I ain't gonna lie, I feel pretty useless. A lot of the group just ignores me half the time. Either that, or they walk on eggshells around me, always watching what they say when they know I can hear them… Do they really think I'm that fragile? They're nice enough, sure (when they do talk to me that is) but almost seem to be afraid of me. Like I'm gonna snap at any moment. I can't be too bitter about it though, it's not as if I didn't give them a reason to act like this. My wrist is pretty much healed now, but there's always gonna be a scar. God, I was so-_

"You gotta knife on you, by chance?" Daryl asked. Beth jumped and desperately tried to hide it. As if she needed to give everyone more reason to think she was pathetic, getting startled by a simple voice. However, Daryl did notice and rolled his eyes.

"Whatsamatter with yours?" Beth asked, eyeing the one handing from his belt.

"Too big for skinnin',"

"I've got a pocket knife, that okay?"

"That's all you got?" He asked incredulously.

"You asked what I had. Do you want it or not?" She asked.

"Yeah," He sighed. "It'll do,"

She handed it over and he nodded in thanks. She expected him to just take it and leave, but instead he sat down next to her on the log she was perched on. Abandoning her diary momentarily, Beth watched him work over the rabbits he'd caught out of the corner of her eye. If they didn't have Daryl, Beth was honestly not sure how the group would fare. Sure, he was grouchy and a down right ass sometimes, yet despite that he was a good man. He took care of everyone no questions asked. After everything that had gone down with Shane, he'd become Rick's right-hand man. He wasn't gentle or nice, but at the end of the day that's what made him strong. After all, gentle and nice got people killed.

It's what's gonna get me killed, Beth thought grimly.

"Am I useless?" She asked suddenly, regretting it instantly.

"Huh?" Daryl paused and looked at her. Well, she thought, I've made my bed and now I have to lie in it.

"Daryl, am I useless?" She asked again.

"The hell you askin' me for?"

"I dunno, 'cause you're here, I guess. And 'cause I feel like out of everyone, you'd be honest with me. I'm sorry, it was a dumb question. I shouldn't've asked."

"You're right, it was a dumb ass question. 'Cause you sure as hell ain't useless." He grunted.

"What do you mean?" She asked, surprised by his response.

"You ain't the best with a gun 'n stuff 'n you need to get better if you wanna survive. But you do your part, carin' for people and shit."

"You really think so?"

"I ain't no expert, but yeah." He mumbled awkwardly.

"Thanks, it means a lot to hear you say that," She smiled and he shrugged.

"C'mon," He said abruptly and stood up.

"What?" Beth asked, confused.

"You may be a good kid, but that don't mean that you don't gotta know basic survival. So c'mere," He said. Beth reluctantly got up and walked to where he was standing on the outskirts of their makeshift camp. On her way, Maggie caught her eye and shot her a questioning look. Beth shrugged and kept walking until she reached him.

"Gonna teach you how to properly use a knife," He said.

Over the next 20 minutes, Daryl gave Beth a relatively brief but effective knife yielding lesson. They both knew that it would probably be a while before she would be confident enough to actually do some damage. But it was progress no less.

"Swish and flick," Beth said, waving the knife in a mock wand like motion.

"No, that's not how you're supposed to- shit, just give it here," Daryl said, reaching for the knife to show her again.

"Wait- no, no. I know that's not how you showed me, I was just kiddin' around. Thought maybe you'd get at least some of the reference."

"What reference?"

"You know, 'swish and flick, _Wingardium Levisoa'_. What, you ain't ever heard of _Harry Potter_?" She joked.

Daryl shook his head

"Come on, kid with glasses and a lightning bolt scar? Goes to a school for wizards? The boy who lived? Ring any bells?"

He stared at her blankly.

"Oh my God, you're serious!" She said incredulously.

"Never heard of him," He said.

"It's a classic though!"

"Girl, do I look like the type to give a shit about some magic kid?"

"Well no, but like my daddy always says, can't judge a book by its cover. Plus, I figured you'd at least seen stuff for the movies. The very last one was just about to come out when all this happened. Lord, I was so excited. Maggie, my brother Shawn, and I were gonna dress up and everything! It's too bad that the apocalypse couldn't hold off for the last _Harry Potter _movie to be released right?"

He shrugged.

"You know what? I'm gonna get you to read those books."

"Is that right?" Daryl said sarcastically.

"Mhmm," She nodded. "As soon as we find a book store or somethin', I'm gonna grab a few for you."

"Ain't gonna read 'em,"

"Oh yes you will, I'm a girl on a mission. And in my opinion, everybody's gotta read _Harry Potter_ at least once before they die."

"If I promise to read 'em will you promise to practice properly with that knife?"

"Scout's honor," Beth saluted.

"Whatever, I need to get workin' on those rabbits, quit naggin' me."

"Fine, I'll go. But mark my words Daryl Dixon, before I die, you will have read those books." She said.

"Yeah yeah, get on now." Daryl waved her off.

"Oh and Daryl?" She called.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for the knife lesson, it was really helpful."

"Ya needed to learn," He said nonchalantly.

She nodded and started walking to go sit by her dad across the fire. About halfway there, she spun around and walked back the way she came. Daryl didn't even look up when she approached him.

"Forget somethin'?" He asked while he skinned one of the rabbits.

"Kinda. I- um wanted to also say thanks for, ya know, saying that I ain't useless." She said awkwardly.

He looked up from where he was squatting and met her eyes.

"Oh, er- it ain't nothin'."

"Well, it meant somethin' to me. I'll- uh let you get back to your rabbit." And without another word, she turned and carried on her way back to the others. She'd been sitting on the log for no less than 2 minutes when Maggie plopped down next to her, inquiring still evident in her expression.

"What was that about?" She whispered in her ear

"Iunno," Beth admitted. "He was barrowin' my knife and he wanted to show me how to really use it."

"That was awfully nice of him,"

"Mhmm,"

They didn't talk anymore about Daryl after that. The afternoon shifted into night and everyone began to settle down for the night. But with the way the wind was picking up, it was probably going to be another sleepless one. Beth pulled out her diary again and picked up where she left off.

_God, I was so stupid. If these past few months have taught me anything, it's that you can't just duck out. You gotta keep up. You gotta keep going. But above all, you gotta survive. And I think I'm getting better at that. _

_ Daryl showed me some knife tricks tonight. It was mostly pretty basic stuff, but it will help me stay alive. I ain't great at it yet, but he was a good teacher… Even if he was a bit impatient. Either way, I'm taking a step in the right direction. That's what matters right? Moving forward._

_ -Beth Greene _

As she was closing her notebook, Beth felt something drop on her blanket covered lap; her knife. She looked up and around until her eyes landed on a pair of angel wings on leather walking away.

_ A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it! The next chapter has been drafted so I'll be posting it soon. It's going to be a bit more angsty than this one (you gotta balance the fluff, right?). Anyway, as always please make sure to leave a review even if you hated it. I live for your thoughts! _


	3. Peaches

_A/N: Hi all! So if you've read any of my other work before, then you'll know this is probably the least amount of time that it's taken me to update a fic. My muse is strong with this one, haha. Thanks to all who reviewed, followed, and favorite last chapter, it made me happy! As always, I do not own The Walking Dead or Hamlet. _

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Chapter 3: Peaches

They'd been stuck in the trailer park for some time now, constantly hopping from one unit to another. Sometimes, they could hole up in one for a few days. Most of the time, they were lucky if their shelter lasted more than a few hours. As for sleeping through the night, it became nothing more than wishful thinking. Not that it was much of an issue for Beth, sleeping at all was enough of a challenge. Staying up and waiting for death, on the other hand, was a breeze.

_ "To die, to sleep - To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub,_

_For in this sleep of death what dreams may come..." _ Mel Gibson's morose voice wafted through Beth's ears. A mere week before the outbreak, her English class had just finished reading _Hamlet _and as a "special treat", got to watch the movie. Throughout most of it, she hadn't paid much attention, using it as an excuse to text Jimmy under her desk. In truth, English had been one of her favorite subjects and she'd enjoyed _Hamlet_ quite a bit. It was just at the time, texting her new boyfriend had been more important. She ended up getting her phone confiscated right at the "To be or not to be" scene and been forced to actually watch the film. Incidentally the scene, specifically that bit, had stuck with her. It was strange, that the quote would come back to her now, when the difference between living and dying could change in the blink of an eye. Sleep be damned, they all dreamt of death anyway.

"Shakespeare had it right," she muttered under her breath.

"What'dja say?" Daryl asked, making Beth nearly jump out of her skin.

"Jesus, you scared me!" She said, clutching her hand to her chest. Dammit! That's the second time he's done that, she thought bitterly as she tried to calm her breathing. She'd been writing in her diary, enjoying a brief moment of peace on the patch work sofa. Carol and T-dog were talking in the kitchen, Lori was napping in the bedroom, Hershel was teaching Carl a card trick, Daryl was keeping watch, while Rick and the others were out on a run. Well, at least he had been keeping watch until a few minutes ago. Beth hadn't even heard him come in.

"Well, you ain't exactly givin' me peace of mind talkin' to yourself like that, either." He said.

"Sorry, I didn't think anyone was listening. I thought you were on watch?"

"T-dog took over, and it's fine."

"It was nothing important, just thinking out loud about Shakespeare is all."

"The play write?"

"You know who William Shakespeare is?" Beth asked.

"Don't look so surprised,"

"Sorry, it's just- I didn't think you, well, you know-"

"Graduated high school?"

"Yeah,"

"I didn't, in case you're wonderin', but I'd go from time to time."

"Oh. Well, if it makes you feel any better, I haven't either."

He shrugged.

"So- um, you went hunting this morning right?" She asked.

"Yeah," He said, relieved that she'd changed the topic.

"Catch anything good?" Beth nodded at his crossbow.

"Few squirrels, nothin' special." Daryl said.

"Eh, well at least it'll be fresh. I think that if I went the rest of my life without seeing a single can of expired green beans again, I'd be perfectly content." She joked. Much to her surprise, Daryl smirked.

"Girl, I hear ya." He chuckled, plopping down on an armchair. "Though, for me, it's them peaches"

"Really?"

"Yup, never liked 'em much. Too sweet."

"Oh not for me, I just love them! Back at the farm, there was this orchard about a mile away. We used to go peach picking there all the time before- well, you know. Anyway, my mom would make me, Maggie, and Shawn go down there constantly and bring her back as many as we could carry. Once Maggie got her license it got a lot easier, mind you. When we'd bring them home, she'd start makin' all kinds of stuff. Peach pie, peach tea, peach salad, can 'em, dry 'em. You know, the works."

"And you never got sick of 'em?"

"Never, Mom was always real good at getting' creative in the kitchen. Suppose that's why Daddy married her after his first wife died."

"Hershel was married before?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, Josephine died when Maggie was 5. Hit 'n run. Damn near broke my Daddy. You know how he used to be an alcoholic, right? Well he'd been thinkin' about takin' the drink back up when he met my mom, Annette at an AA meeting. They got talkin' and one thing led to another pretty quickly. 'Course she was about 20 or so years younger than him, but that didn't matter none and they got married within a year. I came along shortly after. Daddy always says that she was his light at the end of the tunnel, the flame in the darkness. Basically, what got him through the worst point in his life…I'm rambling aren't I?"

"Lil' bit,"

"Sorry about that. Seems like as soon as I get talkin' about my mom, I can't stop." Beth said, looking down at her hands, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment.

"Nah, its fine."

"I just miss her, I guess."

"It's understandable. She-um seems like she was a real good lady," Daryl offered awkwardly.

"Thanks, she was…can I ask you a question?"

He shrugged, fiddling with his crossbow.

"Who do you miss?" She asked hesitantly. Daryl didn't answer. Instead, it was almost as if a switch had been flicked and made him tense up; like he was about to take on a walker. He grabbed his bow and got up out of the chair.

"I gotta clean the squirrels," He said coldly.

"I didn't mean to offend you or-"

"Just drop it, Beth!" He snapped. This wasn't the first time she'd seen him angry, but never had his wrath been directed at her.

"I was just-"

"What're you doin'? Tryin' to be buds? Tryin' to get me to tell you my life story like some shrink? You don't know me! I ain't your brother. I ain't your friend. You're just some dumb girl, livin' in the past."

His words stung like a slap in the face. Beth felt tears welling in her eyes as she took in everything he was saying.

"What you gonna cry now? Go ahead, no skin off my back."

The tears were really stinging now, but Beth didn't dare let any fall. She was not about to give him the satisfaction. How dare he? All she'd done was shown a bit of sympathy and he nearly bit her head off. Maybe her first impression was right, he was mean old bastard and nothing more. Making her decision, Beth got off the sofa. She squared her shoulders and glared at him dead in the eye.

"You know what? Fine, be a jerk, I don't care. Have fun with your squirrels 'cause you just lost yourself a friend." She said.

"Fine by me, Princess." He said.

Without a second glance, Beth stormed out and ran towards the bathroom. As soon as she rounded the corner, the tears she'd been desperately trying to hold in sprang forth and she just cried. Cried for her mother. Cried for her home. Cried for what Daryl said. For that moment, she cried for just about everything. As Beth fell apart, she never heard the muffled "fuck," coming from the living room.

_A/N: Ah yes, here comes the angst and anger. Yeah, I kinda made Daryl an ass, but I have a reason for it! Remember at the start of season 3 when Hershel asks Beth to sing and she and Daryl have a kinda weird eye contact moment, like there was some under-lying tension there?... Yeah. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Please make sure to leave a review, even if you hated it! I love hearing your thoughts and so far they've definitely been making me write faster! _


	4. Contemplations

_A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for leaving all of your kind reviews, follows, and favorites. I'm so happy that you all seem to be enjoying my story so far! Sorry that this update wasn't as quick as my last one, but I want you to know that I have quite a few scenes already mapped out. Granted, they're kind of scattered and not at all in order, but nevertheless I have a plan! Anyway, I hope you like this installment, we're at the prison now! I do not own The Walking Dead._

_Enjoy!_

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Chapter 4: Contemplations

The fuck was that about? Daryl thought as he tried to make himself comfortable by the small fire crackling softly. For as long as he'd known Carol she'd always been this shy and soft spoken woman, almost matronly. Not… whatever the hell that was. She'd been kidding of course, when she'd uttered her proposition, cocking her hip and smiling coyly at him. At first he'd snorted and shook his head, she couldn't have been serious. Screw around- what were they? Fifteen? She'd laughed off his less than eloquent decline, even teased him about it. Yet as he stared at the flames licking away at a log, he couldn't help but wonder how much of what Carol said had actually been a joke.

It was unsettling.

Carol was a beautiful woman, anyone could see that. Even him. She was smart, kind, and... _Hardened_. In the end her eyes said it all; she'd seen too much, been through too much. The most tragic part was, the turn hadn't caused half of the damage. If anything, it was what saved her. Daryl remembered when he'd first met Carol and that sack o' shit husband of her's. He'd known men like that his whole life, hell he'd grown up with one as a father. Just from one glance, he and Merle had a pretty good idea of what happened behind closed doors right away. Merle just shook his head and went back to whatever the hell he'd been doing beforehand. "_Pathetic," _he'd called her as she'd walked timidly from her tent with a freshly red cheek and her little girl in tow. Daryl had agreed, scowling at Ed Peletier who'd followed his shaken wife a few seconds later. He'd sworn long before that moment that he'd never hit a woman, and meeting the Peletier family had only fortified that promise.

He didn't judge Carol on her past. How could he when he'd been just like her not so long ago? He understood more than anyone what she'd gone through, what she'd overcome. Just like him, she'd been through the ringer long before the world had fallen apart. In a way, he and Carol were almost identical. And to see a good woman like her go through the same shit he'd dealt with all his life was just plain sad.

Which was exactly why he needed her proposition to be a joke. When it came down to it, he knew her too well as did she with him. Their scars were too similar and the memories behind their eyes were too familiar. If they were to pursue… whatever that was, it would be dangerous. Who was to say that they wouldn't learn from their past? Who was to say that she wouldn't go back to that timid woman she once was? Who was to say that he wouldn't end up just like his daddy? That last question alone was the real kicker.

And it fucking terrified him.

The soft whisper of grass being stepped on snapped him out of his thoughts of Carol and back to reality. Shit, did they miss an opening in the fence? Or worse, did it fail? Instantly, Daryl grabbed his bow and leapt to his feet. Rick had been right about it being a good win today, but that didn't mean that the threat of walkers disappeared. From the sounds of the steps, it was a straggler- and a small one at that. Silently, he crept towards the noise with his bow in his hands. He knew that with just the one, his knife would've probably sufficed. However, it was dark and there wasn't much of a way of knowing how close those flailing arms and rotting teeth might be. These days, he'd rather not risk being careless. A few seconds later, the silhouette of his target came into view. He raised the bow and aimed it at the figure with careful precision. However just when he was about to pull the trigger, another sound flitted through the cold night air.

Humming.

Humming that got progressively louder as the silhouette drew closer.

Humming that had stopped abruptly.

"Hello?" Beth's timid voice asked.

Oh for the love of God, Daryl thought as he lowered the weapon.

"The hell you doin' out here?" Daryl demanded as he walked up to her.

"Oh, it's you."

"You expectin' someone?

"No, I was just- you know what? Never mind," She tried to brush past him before he put a hand on her arm.

"Ain't nobody supposed to go out on their own, you know that."

"Of course I know that! I had to pee, Jesus!"

"That's no excuse, 'sides even with the fences, how're you supposed to know if there ain't holes?"

"'Cause we checked them!"

"Don't mean that they're full proof!"

"Alright fine, sorry! I won't do it again, can I go now?"

"Uh uh, I ain't done with you yet. Look, I get that you wanna make everyone feel happy by singin' campfire songs and like some girl scout, but you ain't doin' anybody no favors by doin' it all the time. Especially when you're alone and doin' it just for shits and giggles. It's careless and all that noise you're makin' is just gonna attract walkers,"

"Makin' noise? That's what- actually forget it. I don't need to explain myself to you." She yanked her arm back and stormed past him.

Daryl rolled his eyes. Women, he thought disdainfully. First he'd had to deal with the thing Carol had said and now Beth was all up in his ass again. Things had been strained with the two of them since the trailer park and they'd barely spoken a word to each other. He wasn't a fool to think that he hadn't hurt her feelings after what he'd said to her that day. If he were honest, he actually felt pretty shitty about it. A better man would've apologized by now. After all, it wasn't like she knew about Merle or anything. She'd just asked 'cause that was her nature. But then he'd gone and yelled at her and made her cry like the asshole he was.

And now, she hated him.

Granted, he knew he wasn't particularly helping the matter by picking on her like he had tonight. But that didn't mean that she hadn't been careless. She knew better than to walk off on her own like that, didn't she? Especially at night. If she'd known how close she'd gotten to a bolt in her head- fuck, I almost killed Beth Greene, Daryl realized with a start.

On second thought, maybe he shouldn't've given her shit about humming.

_A/N: I know this was a short chapter, but there is plenty more to come (hopefully soon!). I'm not going to lie, it was harder for me to write from Daryl's perspective (probably because I'm an 18 year old girl so writing from Beth's POV comes a bit more natural for me) but I still want to hear your thoughts on how I did. Also, I just want to point out that I actually love Carol to bits (she's who I relate to most throughout the entire series) so I do not mean her any disrespect in this installment (in case it wasn't clear). I recently rewatched "Seed" (1__st__ episode of season 3) to get my inspiration for this chapter and the scene where Carol jokingly suggests that they "screw around" stuck out to me. The first part of this chapter was my interpretation of what Daryl thought about it and in no way shape or form dogging Carol or Carylers… Does that make sense? Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and please make sure to leave a review , even I you hated it Thanks!_


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